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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Dave Burke

Cheering Ukrainian troops shoot down Russian drone with British missile

Ukrainian troops have shot down a Russian drone with a British-made missile.

Cheering soldiers are shown celebrating after the laser-guided Starstreak missile took down the device.

It comes as the UK announced it was sending £100million worth of weapons to Ukraine, with anti-tank systems and air defence equipment set to be delivered.

Today footage was posted by soldier Yuriy Kochevenko thanking Britain for supplying the missile system that wiped out Russia's drone.

Troops are shown watching the device fall from the sky, with one of them shouting: "There's contact, we destroyed that s***."

It is believed to have happened on Saturday, with Ukrainian military bosses saying the drone was downed by the 95th Air Assault Brigade.

The UK today it would be sending additional Starstreak air defence systems to Ukraine (AFP via Getty Images)

The government announced the UK would be providing Ukraine with:

  • More than 800 more NLAW anti-tank missiles

  • Additional Javelin anti-tank systems

  • Additional loitering munitions

  • Additional Starstreak air defence systems

  • Additional non-lethal aid including ballistic helmets, body armour and night vision goggles

Boris Johnson, who held face-to-face talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv at the weekend, said: "Putin has steeled our resolve, sharpened our focus and forced Europe to begin to rearm to guarantee our shared security.

"Alongside our allies, this military support will bolster Ukraine’s efforts to ensure Russia ’s barbaric invasion fails."

Today a Number 10 spokeswoman said the Prime Minister had spent around five hours in the Ukrainian capital after a carefully-planned operation to bring him in secretly.

Soldiers are seen celebrating after downing the Russian drone (AFP via Getty Images)

She said: "On arrival in Kyiv, the PM and President Zelensky met for an hour - this was a meeting just with the two of them. They then went on a 30-minute walk together to Independence Square.

"You'll have seen some of the footage - he met with Ukrainians and passed the memorials that have been put up to victims of the war."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov today said military operations will not be paused during peace talks.

Russian officials say discussions with Ukraine are not progressing as rapidly as they would like, and have accused the West of trying to derail negotiations by raising war crimes allegations against Russian troops.

Putin's forces have been accused of a litany of atrocities including murder, torture, rape and targeting civilians.

Boris Johnson meets Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv at the weekend (EyePress News/REX/Shutterstock)

Lavrov said: "After we became convinced that the Ukrainians were not planning to reciprocate, a decision was made that during the next rounds of talks, there would be no pause (in military action) so long as a final agreement is not reached."

Vladimir Putin should threaten to use nuclear weapons if the West puts mercenary fighters into Ukraine, one of his closest henchmen has demanded.

Warlord Ramzan Kadyrov - leader of Chechnya and a lieutenant-general in the Russian national guard - also called on Putin not to abandon his aim of seizing Kyiv despite the current pullback.

Outspoken hardliner Kadyrov, 45, claims to be personally involved in the war especially with Chechen forces around decimated Mariupol.

In a new video, the Chechen head, so powerful he criticises some of Putin’s most trusted inner circle, said: “What would I do?

“I would immediately clear Luhansk and Donetsk, and begin to work further.

“I would declare: If any mercenary comes to Ukraine we would go up to a strike with nuclear tactical [weapons] at certain points…

“So they do not mock us. NATO, the West, are at war with us. This isn't a joke.”

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